The Haveltersluis can be used for shipping again today. Yesterday, ships could not use the lock in the Drentsche Hoofdvaart after a ship collided with a lock door near Havelte.
The lock is an important link in the shipping connection between Meppel and Assen. According to a spokesperson for the province, the problem arose on Saturday afternoon during the lock. This is the process by which the water level in the lock is adjusted.
“The ship came too close to the lock door. The door has been dislocated, so it will have to be lifted,” the spokesperson said. The ship also suffered some damage.
Work on the lock gates was completed successfully in the evening. “It was all hands on deck for a while, we worked hard to solve this problem as quickly as possible and we succeeded. That is very nice, the problem has been solved for this season. If further repairs are necessary, this will be done after the sailing season during regular maintenance,” the spokesperson explains.
Ships that were unable to sail through yesterday still passed the lock this morning. Normally the lock is closed on Sundays in May, but this morning there was an extra opening for the blocked shipping traffic.
Due to the blockage, shipping traffic had to wait for the time being on Saturday. According to the province, this involved a limited number of ships. “But the situation is of course very annoying. We are also dealing with the blockage of the Norger Bridge,” the spokesperson referred to the problems with the sheet pile wall along the Norgervaart on Saturday.
The N371, between Havelte and Meppel, was also temporarily closed to traffic due to the repair work.